


The Warmest Place isn't by the Fire but Next to You

by ghiblise



Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Playing matchmaker, Post-Persona 5, Roadtrip, akira steals akechi’s heart! (figuratively), but also confident gays, p5r compliant, they are struggle gays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:20:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23375305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghiblise/pseuds/ghiblise
Summary: “Stop that,” he chided, his eyes stealing a glance at Akechi as he did.Akechi giggled which made Akira’s heart skip a beat. “Stop what?” he asked innocently.He opened his mouth to respond but closed it. Furrowing his brows, Akira wondered if Akechi was just playing dumb or he just genuinely did not realise he was staring. “Um, you were, uh, staring. Again. Are you sure there isn’t anything on my face? Because, uh — ““There’s nothing on your face.” He paused to laugh again. “I swear.”“Okay.” Akira sighed in relief.“Just thought you looked really pretty,” Akechi mumbled to himself, thinking that Akira couldn’t hear him.Boy, was he wrong.The tires shrieked — not louder than poor Ryuji in the back —  as the van swerved into the other lane before swerving back to their original lane (earning several car horns going off from mad drivers and a quite aggressive but well-deserved “AKIRA WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT” from Makoto).The gang goes on a poorly planned road trip.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 12
Kudos: 150





	The Warmest Place isn't by the Fire but Next to You

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends (ohmygod idk how to do this, this is literally the first fic i've ever fully finished)
> 
> this was a work in progress for like more than a year now, this story went through three (3) character changes HHH big thank you to aris for suggesting to change it to akeshu this fic would not have seen the light of day if it werent for them <3 also not really relevant but i couldnt get the song close to me by laica out of my head while writing this since it fit akeshu so well, go give it a listen if u want :D

“What am I _doing_?” Akira hissed in pain after having accidentally slammed his drawer shut on his fingers. As he curled up on the ground clutching his hand, he wondered just how he ended up stressing over a poorly planned road.

It all started when Akechi decided to surprise his friends — at least… he thinks he can consider them friends — by arriving without notice to the Phantom Thieves’ first anniversary of saving the world from apparent doom.

They were all so shocked that he was there, and Akechi himself was taken aback at their disbelief that he was _actually, genuinely, legitimately, physically_ , and _totally_ not a hologram, _there_.

Needless to say, there was a lot of yelling, hugging, cursing, crying, and name-calling, all of which was directed at Akechi. He was confused as to why they were acting like this since he was their enemy for the longest time but nonetheless, he couldn’t help but laugh at every single thing they said. It was as if witnessing the five stages of grief within a single minute.

First came denial. “Akechi? Oh my fucking _god_ that can’t be you. I refuse to believe that’s actually you.” “OKAY, WHICH ONE OF YOU LOADED MOTHERFUCKERS BOUGHT A SUPER REALISTIC HOLOGRAM JUST TO PRANK US ON OUR ANNIVERSARY? SPEAK NOW OR SPEAK TO GOD BECAUSE I WILL MURDER YOU.”

Then there was anger “I hate you so much you fucking _asshole_ .” “Why the FUCK did you only show up now?” “WHY did it take you a _fucking_ year before you decided to show your face?”

Then came the bargaining. “Akechi, did you disappear because we were annoying?” 

After that was depression. “I can’t believe you’re actually alive.” “Akechi, fuck off. I’m crying.” “We’ve missed you so much, you trick ass bitch. How could you leave us for that long?”

Finally — there was acceptance. “YOU GUYS HE’S NOT A FUCKING HOLOGRAM OH MY GOD?”

After everyone had gotten over their shock and stopped crying, they all couldn’t contain their giddiness and pure _joy_. They were all so smiley and happy, and Akechi couldn’t be more thankful that he finally felt like he had a place to belong to and it’s with these rowdy bunch of idiots.

They bombarded him with questions: about what happened after they got separated, what has he been up to, where the _fuck_ has he been, and oddly enough, a very specific question from Ryuji “Were you purposefully planning out this grand return of yours? I mean I know I would.”

“I swear to god, Ryuji. ” Ann rolled her eyes as she judged Ryuji _hard_ , to which he replied with a defensive “What?!”

Before Ann had the chance to respond, Akechi asked them about how they were doing and what happened while he was gone which made her completely forget about what Ryuji had said.

He felt relieved knowing that nothing much has changed. They were all still the same people he wanted to be friends with a year ago and more than that, they were closer to becoming their “true selves” like what their personas had previously brought out from within them. 

Despite this, he felt uneasy like something was off. Everything was the same yet so different. Or maybe that was just because of the fact that they’re no longer Phantom Thieves stuck in Leblanc’s attic, blasting loud, annoying rap music (“My speaker, my rules.” – Sakamoto Ryuji).

Akechi had to admit — he can’t help but miss those days. Even though admittedly, he initially joined the group to trick them and sell them out (which he now realised was a poor decision in hindsight), he couldn’t help but feel that maybe… he didn’t want to push forth with his plans, or that maybe he’d rather be one of the good guys with them, but alas it’s too late. What’s done is done.

He wanted nothing more than to let go of the past and learn from those moments. And Akira was aware of this. He knew that Akechi still felt guilty and undeserving of the friendship they were offering him. From the way Akechi was hesitant in rooming with him in Leblanc’s attic, to him barely speaking in conversations. 

Akira was only going to be in town for the summer and he did _not_ want to waste it with Akechi and the rest of the group walking on eggshells around each other. So he took it upon himself to do something about it and his brilliant solution is:

“Hey, guys. Do you want to go on a road trip?”

So maybe proposing to go on a road trip without prior planning was something called a dumb idea, but no worries! Akira’s got this. At least… that’s what he tried to convince himself as he repacked some of the clothes he _just_ finished unpacking the other night and thought of the places they were to go.

**Kurusu Akira’s List Of Destinations And Activities To Do On The Road Trip:**

  1. The skating rink they went to last summer despite having zero idea how to skate and spent hours repeatedly falling ass first on the ice, followed by someone holding onto your limbs and dragging you across the rink.
  2. That big theme park that opened a year ago which is about three hours away from the skating rink (two and a half if they’re lucky). There, they must ride all the extreme rides and make sure to catch the others screaming on camera.
  3. The music festival Ryuji mentioned during their celebration. (Ryuji would never forgive them if they were not to go because Buster Bros was performing).
  4. Beach, go surfing, then have a bonfire at night. (If he remembers correctly, the venue of the music festival is near a beach).  
  




Akira had shut his drawer in a hurry to write down this mental list before he forgets, leading to his present predicament of being curled up on the ground while simultaneously questioning all the life decisions that ultimately led to this point.

 _Good thing Akechi’s crashing at the Niijima’s again today to sort out some paperwork,_ was what Akira thought as he cradled his crushed hand. He’d be so embarrassed if Akechi saw him on the ground like this.

He stood up, still clutching the poor hand that fell victim to his own stupidity, to close the drawer with which he crushed his fingers with properly.

Before he could do that, however, a familiar blue argyle sweater vest caught his eye. He opened the drawer gently and held the sweater tenderly in his functional hand. He broke into a nostalgic smile as he remembered how Akechi gave it to him a year ago before they went inside Sae’s palace. Thinking back on it now, this might have been a sign of Akechi crying for help that he never caught on to. Sighing wistfully, he placed it back and closed the drawer (this time making sure his fingers are not in danger).

He closed the lights and shuffled to his bed. As soon as he had lain down, his phone suddenly lit up with its accompanying _ding_! Reaching over his bedside table where he had placed his phone, he flinched as he switched it on, eyes squinting against the harsh light from the small screen.

**Akechi: Hello, This is Goro Akechi.**

**Akechi: Host of the hit podcast I’m Lonely.**

Akira couldn’t help but frown as he read the message.

“Again?”

Akechi had been openly talking about his feelings to Akira lately, every night before they slept. He opened up to him about his past, his true feelings during the events of the previous year, and basically everything that had been plaguing his mind since he disappeared.

When he purposely went missing, he ventured on a search for his true self. Having faked the majority of his personality all his life, and with the destruction of the metaverse, he was left having no clue, not even a smidge of an idea as to what he was truly like. He felt like an empty shell; a remnant of this “detective prince” character he had meticulously built and used as a facade throughout the years. 

Akechi decided that he didn’t want to join their friend group in that state of his. He didn’t want to be incapable of reciprocating their sincerity. So he vanished, only reappearing when he felt like he had _some semblance_ of a legitimate personality.  
  


Akira jolted awake as his alarm blared in his ear. Grabbing his phone that was sticking to his face, he quickly shut off his alarm, belatedly realising that he fell asleep while talking to Akechi on the phone last night. 

**Akechi: Good night**

Akechi, angel that he is, had left him a good night message as he always does when Akira fell asleep in the middle of their conversation. Akira always felt bad whenever this happened, despite knowing that Akechi doesn’t mind.

**Akira: sorry**

**Akira: for falling asleep**

**Akira: again**

**Akechi: Don’t worry about that**

**Akechi: Just get over here already, everyone’s waiting**

Grabbing the keys to the van they had rented last minute (Morgana outright _refused_ to be their mode of transportation throughout the entire road trip), Akira cursed as he walked out the door and then back in as he realized that he was about to leave without his stuff.

He knew he was running late, but he couldn't help but pause just outside Leblanc, taking in the view of the neighborhood he spent the entirety of his second year in. It looked like it was stuck in time.

Stuck in time, yet everyone has definitely already moved on.

“Well, you sure rushed to get your ass here,” Ryuji commented in a jokingly caustic way as Akira got out of the van, to which the older of the two just shrugged in reply. 

Ryuji walked over to him and put his hand out as if asking for something, while the rest piled into the van. Akira looked at him and tilted his head, making a confused noise.

“Keys.”

“Why?”

“I’m driving.”

“… Why?”

Ryuji gave him a look of disbelief before he decided to take matters into his own hands and yanked the keys out of Akira’s hand. He hopped into the driver’s seat, while the still very confused Akira got in the passenger side seat without much of a choice.

“So where are we going?” He asked Akira as he started the engine.

“The skating rink we used to always go to during the summer.”

“Oh.”

“Makoto…”

“What?” Makoto asked this time, looking up attentively.

“I don’t know the directions to the skating rink,” Ryuji said apologetically, turning around to look at Makoto with a sheepish face.

With a sigh and an amused shake of her head, Makoto got out of the van and moved to the driver’s seat, gesturing for him to get out.

“Wait, why don’t you want _me_ to drive?” Akira questioned Ryuji, who was about to climb out. 

“You’re tired. And sleep deprived. The bags under your eyes tell everything you know,” Ryuji replied simply, shooting Akira a look that made it seem as if that was the dumbest question ever, proceeding to hop out the driver’s seat and be replaced by Makoto.

Makoto nudged Akira, who was pretty much frozen in his seat, and asked in a quiet whisper, “Do you like Akechi?” 

Akira whipped his head around to look at Makoto, eyes wide with surprise. “I—” 

Before he could even think of an answer, Ryuji had swung the passenger side door open, and announced, “Get out, I’m gonna blast Sensenfukoku on the speakers.”

Which, quite frankly, Akira was thankful for, because he definitely did _not_ want to talk about _that._

Not right now.

Not at all.

Ryuji was right when he said Akira was tired and very much sleep deprived. Before he knew it, he was nodding off to Ryuji rapping— more like shouting — along to Yamada Jiro’s _Sensenfukoku._

“Akira,” Morgana hopped on his lap, coaxing him awake. He gently shook Akira awake upon seeing no signs of him waking up. “Akira, wake up.” 

Akira slowly opened his eyes and put his hand over Morgana’s paw. He straightened up in his seat, rolling his neck to get a knot out from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Looking out the window, he realised that they weren’t at the skating rink like he initially thought they would be. “Why did we stop?”

“We saw an arcade and wanted to stop by before going to the skating rink,” Futaba answered before sliding the door open and making a run for the arcade with the other members following in suit. Akira chased after them yelling, “Let’s play a shooting game!”

Everyone scattered throughout the arcade, playing their favourite games. Plenty of shouting, laughing, and cursing (courtesy of Ryuji, who was later on joined by Ann, trying — and failing — to get plushies from the claw machine) could be heard throughout the arcade.

Later on, Sumire challenged Akechi to a dance battle in DDR. They made bets among each other on who they think will win (losers having to buy their snacks). Much to their disappointment however, their bets weighed nothing by the end of the dance battle because the duo had started to cheat by pushing and kicking each other. 

They weren’t even able to finish the dance battle (Sumire accidentally pushed Akechi too hard in retaliation, almost causing him to fall if it weren’t for Akira).

After a trip to the convenience store next door, they were back on the road, this time with Akira driving and Ryuji in the backseat as everyone had enough of him shouting along to his music.

Everyone was noisy in the back, a stark contrast against the silence greeting him and Akechi at the front. But it wasn’t an awkward silence at all; in fact, it was comfortable. Silence was always welcome, a thing of comfort when he’s with Akechi (mostly because he gets nervous around him ~~and also because Akechi is just too damn pretty).~~

“Uh,” Akira paused as he glanced at Akechi who was staring at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He forced himself to look straight ahead, trying to ignore Akechi whose gaze made him feel like he was being held at gunpoint.

“Oh, nothing,” he teased playfully, looking away from Akira, who was now sweating in unknown fear. 

“No, seriously. Why were you staring?” Akira asked, sounding vaguely paranoid. “Is there something on my face?” 

Akechi laughed at him, calling him a dork before repeating his previous answer: “It’s nothing.”

Akira narrowed his eyes at Akechi, casting a skeptical look. 

“It’s really nothing! Look where you’re going! Oh my _god_ , are you trying to get us _killed_?” Akechi loudly scolded with wide eyes. 

Akira sighed as he finally turned back to the road, his curiosity bothering him like an itch he can’t scratch. Not to mention that Akechi, once again, is staring at him. 

“Stop that,” he chided, his eyes stealing a glance at Akechi as he did. 

Akechi giggled which made Akira’s heart skip a beat. “Stop what?” he asked innocently. 

He opened his mouth to respond but closed it. Furrowing his brows, Akira wondered if Akechi was just playing dumb or he just genuinely _did not_ realise he was staring. “Um, you were, uh, staring. Again. Are you _sure_ there isn’t anything on my face? Because, uh — “

“There’s nothing on your face.” He paused to laugh again. “I swear.”

“Okay.” Akira sighed in relief.

“Just thought you looked really pretty,” Akechi mumbled to himself, thinking that Akira couldn’t hear him.

Boy, was he wrong.

The tires shrieked — not louder than poor Ryuji in the back — as the van swerved into the other lane before swerving back to their original lane (earning several car horns going off from mad drivers and a quite aggressive but well-deserved “ _AKIRA WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT_ ” from Makoto).

Akira whipped his head to Akechi. “Excuse me, _what_ did you say?”

Akechi’s breath hitched. He laughed nervously as he wiped his clammy hands on his jeans. “Oh, hey. There’s the skating rink. Woohoo!” He faked enthusiasm as he desperately tried to change the topic. 

“We’re here!” Ryuji exclaimed from the back sounding excited — in fact, he sounded _too_ excited, almost as if he was up to no good. Makoto, Akira, Akechi, and Yusuke shared a look of suspicion but decided to shrug it off and head on inside.

“Kira! Let’s have a one on one race!” Sumire enthusiastically challenged Akira as she latched onto his arm.

“I don’t know…” Akira replied, knowing full well of how good Sumire is at skating.

Haru came along latching onto his other arm saying, “Come on! This would be quite entertaining and fun!”

With a sigh, Akira agreed to the challenge, not wanting to be a stick in the mud.

The two beamed at him. Detaching from his arms, they wished him good luck with a pat on the back before running to the locker rooms to change into skates.

“You should not have done that,” Makoto commented as she sat down beside Akira lacing up his skates. 

“Why not? If there’s one person that has a shot at beating Sumire, it’s me,” he replied, not making a big deal out of it.

“We know. It’s just that, they really look like they’re up to no good,” Morgana chimed in as he hopped on the bench, also sitting next to Akira. 

“Hey,” Ryuji piped up, laughing mockingly as he pointed a finger at Morgana, “you can’t say that when you were the one who encouraged Sumire to push Akechi.” He immediately dropped it and stopped laughing when Morgana stood up hissing, his claws drawn out and ready to scratch Ryuji.

After getting their skates on, they walked — more like wobbled — to the skating rink, where the others were already having fun and making fun of ~~Yusuke~~ each other. 

“Oh, there’s a lot less people than I thought,” Ann said as she surveyed the rink, cautiously placing her foot on the ice, careful not to fall. Ryuji followed her, saying something about how it’s a weekday and people were at work and students were too broke to be here, to which Ann scoffed at since they too were students.

The two kept bickering until both of them were caught off guard by Yusuke almost falling down, looking like he was doing his version of the dance break of Twice’s _Likey_. They all broke out into laughter before they could suppress it which got them a glare from Yusuke. 

Skating towards Akira, Sumire called out to him and asked, “Are you ready for our race?” she asked enthusiastically, looking like a puppy eager to play.

Akira couldn’t stop the smile from growing on his face at that, seeing how excited Sumi was. “You’re on.”

Morgana cleared his throat, imitating a sports commentator’s voice as he announced, “Ladies! Gentlemen! And nonbinary friends! Welc — “

“Can’t you just do a countdown?” Akira butted in, wanting to get straight into the action.

“No.” Morgana immediately answered, shooting him down. “Now, back to what I was saying before I was _so rudely_ interrupted: Welcome to the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” He extended a paw to the right, “In the right corner!”

Akira once again butted in, “This isn’t wrestling?” 

Morgana rolled his eyes and promptly dropped his paw, giving Akira a look that screamed _will this bitch just let me speak_. “It will be if you don’t stop interrupting me,” he threatened.

Akira snickered in an attempt to stop himself from laughing. Morgana threw another dirty look at him, effectively shutting him up. “Sorry. Continue.”

Morgana sighed, raising up his imaginary microphone once again. “In the right corner! Yoshizawa Sumire, a.k.a. skater extraordinaire! In the left corner! Kurusu Akira, a.k.a. loser!”

“ _Hey_!”

Yusuke hushed Akira and patted him on the back. “It’s true.”

Akira scoffed. “As if you’re any better.”

Makoto joined in, “Yeah, Yusuke’s the worst among us, but he’s not dumb enough to race Sumire.”

“Why is everyone so anti-Akira today? Go Akira! You’re gonna lose but go! Woo!” As Akechi cheered from the sidelines, Akira smiled warmly at him, feeling his heart beat faster.

“Oh?” Makoto smirked, moving in front of Akira. “You _do_ like him, don’t you?” Makoto teased with an all-knowing smile as she playfully hit the blushing boy’s arm.

Yusuke turned towards Makoto, surprised, “He _what_?”

“Mona! Start the race!” Akira told him, desperate to escape the conversation. Both of them _tsk_ ed and skated over to Akechi’s side.

Akira looked over to where the others were watching. “Huh. Where’s Ryu, Futaba, Haru, and Ann?” he asked Sumire as Morgana started counting down. 

Sumire shrugged, “Problem with their skates I think?” Akira wasn’t able to respond as Morgana had already shouted, “Go!”

The two competitors sped off — well, at least, Sumire did. Akira was left in the hypothetical dust. Which was why, when Sumire did a u-turn and skated towards him, he _knew_ something was up.

“No, no, no, no,” he chanted, turning the other way to try — and fail — running away from Sumire, who easily caught up to the stumbling Akira. She then pushed him, causing him to slip and land ass first on the ice.

Raising both fists in the air as she skated in circles, Sumire yelled, “MAN DOWN! I REPEAT! MAN DOWN!” 

“Ladies! Gentlemen! And nonbinary friends! We have surprise challengers! Everyone, behold! The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!” Morgana announced, gesturing to the entrance of the rink to present… four idiots wearing horse heads?

“Neigh!” The four yelled as they skated towards the fallen Akira as Sumire filmed everything.

Makoto, Akechi, Yusuke, and Morgana couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the events unfolding in front of them. 

“How the _fuck_ can you even _see_ in that?” Akira questioned, thinking that this was probably the most absurd thing he has ever experienced. It even beats that time he and the gang rode a shopping cart downhill, almost getting caught in a busy street.

Dumb and dangerous, he knows.

Suddenly, when it registered in Akira’s head just what they were going to do to him, he tried — and once again failed — to run away, for they had already grasped his limbs and started dragging him across the rink all while still wearing those _stupid horse heads_.

One sore ass and a scolding from the rink guard later, they finally decided to let poor Akira go. 

They headed back to the locker room, changing out of their skates. “I hope we don’t get blacklisted,” Ryuji sighed, staring at his latex horse mask.

“If we do, I’m blaming all you Shujin kids,” Makoto huffed, pulling a tad bit aggressively at her shoelaces. 

“But you were from Shujin too!” Ryuji pointed out and was immediately hushed him by Makoto raising a finger up. “I am exempted from this narrative.”

“Mako-chan, don’t be mad,” Haru pouted as she slid next to her and clinged to her.

“We’re sorry,” Sumi joined in, clinging onto her next. The other two, Futaba and Ann, follow suit, effectively smothering Makoto.

“Go away!” Makoto shouted in a subdued voice, trying not to alarm any strangers. She swung her arms, trying to rid the four girls tightly hugging her to no avail. “You guys,” Makoto whined, pouting and looking at the other five in hopes that they’d help her. 

But alas, there was just no stopping the four of them, even when Makoto had said she wasn’t mad at them. She ended up walking back to the van with the four clinging onto her like koalas on a tree.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe we managed to rope in Ann and Haru,” Ryuji told the rest of the group who weren’t busy being stuck to Makoto as they walked back to the van. 

That’s one place checked off of Kurusu Akira’s list. 

As soon as they got to the two-storey motel they reserved rooms at, they discussed room assignments. It was supposed to be boys in one room and girls in the other but it turned out the girls had other plans and _insisted_ that Akechi roomed with them. 

Makoto brought up the problem which is that there weren’t enough beds for six people in one room, this ultimately led to her being kicked out of the girls’ room and forced to room with the boys.

“ _Unbelievable_! First, they almost got us blacklisted from the skating rink and now they kick me out of the room!” Makoto complained as she angrily placed her bag on a bed.

As if on cue, giggles and laughter erupted from the wall next to their room. “ _And_ they sound like they’re having lots of fun! _Ugh._ ” She dropped face first onto her bed, clearly upset at the turn of events.

Her three roommates all gave her a pat on the back to express their sympathy before setting their own stuff onto a bed.

Yusuke tried cheering her up by telling her to look on the bright side to which she replied with a very annoyed, “What bright side?”

“Well, isn’t this the perfect interrogation room for…” he trailed off as all three of them set their eyes on Akira, who was getting comfy in his bed with his earphones in and an open bag of hot chips.

“Actually…” Makoto started off, suddenly moving in on the oblivious Akira with Yusuke close behind.

“Wait, hold on. _Why_ are we interrogating him?” Ryuji, clueless as ever, had no idea what they were talking about. Nonetheless, he still followed them for shits and giggles.

Makoto and Yusuke gave each other a look, almost as if to ask _Should we tell him?_ Ryuji complained about being left out on the fun and kept pestering the two to let him in on the secret. With a sigh, Makoto gave in and told him.

“YOU LIKE — “ Yusuke promptly clasped a hand over Ryuji’s mouth so as to not let the five in the room next to them hear.

“I didn’t say,” Makoto paused, lowered her voice, and leaned closer to the two, “I didn’t say that _he likes Akechi_ . What I _did_ say however was, I _think_ he likes him.” 

The three of them slowly turned their heads in unison towards Akira who just now noticed that they had taken place at the foot of his bed.

“Do you like Akechi?” 

Akira paused mid-crunch and pulled his headphones down to his neck, “Sorry, what did you say?” 

Makoto pursed her lips and closed her eyes (she highly disliked repeating herself), and exhaled exasperatedly before repeating her question. “ _Do you like Akechi_?”

Akira answered with a question of his own, “Why’d you ask?”

“ _Because_ ,” Makoto made a sound of frustration, knowing full well that he’s deflecting the question, “the two of you literally talk all. night. _long_. The entire time Akechi stayed at our place he was almost always on the phone with you.”

Akira stayed silent, thoughtfully and carefully picking out the words that he would use to answer. “Honestly? I don’t know what to feel.”

He removed his headphones from his neck before continuing, “Yeah, I liked him and when he died — well… when we _thought_ he died, I thought that was it! I’m never going to see him _ever_ again but now,” He ran a hand through his hair and laughed under his breath, almost with a bitter tone to it, “ _now_ , he’s back and I don’t… I don’t know how to deal with this.”

Ryuji nodded, holding his chin as if he was deep in thought. “I get it.” 

They all turned to the blond, “You do?” 

“Yeah! I mean, Akechi just pulled off a Jesus Christ! Who _wouldn’t_ be confused? And besides,” he swung an arm around Akira, “I’m ready to be his wingman _anytime_ , _anyday_.”

Makoto yawned which prompted Akira to suggest they should all go to sleep. With a good night and a small message of encouragement to their lovesick leader each, they all headed to their own beds.

It didn’t take long until everyone was fast asleep.

Everyone except Akira. 

Akira left his room, thinking that some fresh air would help him sleep. Not knowing that Akechi was also outside enjoying the cool air.

Akechi looked over his shoulder at the sound of the door opening, he smiled knowingly. “Trouble sleeping?” he asked from his spot on the balcony.

Walking over, Akira set his forearms on the balcony railing and leaned against it, breathing in the night’s air. “Yeah, and you?” he finally said after a quiet moment.

“When do I not have a hard time sleeping?” Akechi replied, closing his eyes as he felt the wind blowing past them.

“You got me there.” Akira looked up at the sky before turning around to lean back against the railing with his elbows propped on it. 

“What’s keeping you up this time?” Akechi asked without looking at him.

Akira turned his head to the side, taking in Akechi’s side profile. His brown hair (which he just now realised was braided), his sleep-filled eyes that were begging to close, his nose that was turning red from the cold ~~and which Akira wanted to kiss.~~

Akira couldn’t help but think, _I want to hold him,_ and the fact that Akechi was wearing his black sweater didn’t help him to suppress that urge. 

Not at all.

With a sad, almost longing, laugh and a hand running through his messy hair frustratedly, he replied, “ _What isn’t_?”

Akechi closed the gap between them, now facing the same direction as Akira. Standing shoulder to shoulder, Akechi doesn’t know if it’s the sleep deprivation, the confidence boost his roommates gave him to go after Akira, or a combination of the two, but his hand moved to fill in the gaps between Akira’s fingers, moving as if it had a mind of its own. He intertwined their hands and squeezed tight.

_Definitely a combination._

Akira, caught off guard, almost choked on his own spit. Clearing his throat before speaking, “What about you? Why are _you_ up?”

Akechi hummed and swayed his head from side to side as he thought of what to tell him. “Just… a lot on my mind I suppose,” he answered vaguely, turning to face him with a small smile.

“Like… what?” Akira, inquisitive as always, leaned closer, eager to know what’s got him awake at night. Akechi had to steel himself so that he wouldn’t unconsciously reel his head backward. 

_You_ , was what Akechi wanted to reply. But _god_ , who even knew what Akira thinks of him? He was a foe turned friend turned traitor turned real friend turned dead friend turned — _what now? Lover? Don’t be ridiculous,_ Akechi thought to himself.

If there’s one thing for sure, both of their minds were such a _mess_. 

He scrunched his nose up. “I don’t wanna tell you.”

Akira jokingly hit him on the cheek with their joint hands and whined, saying “ _tell me”_ repeatedly and drawing out the ‘me’ longer each time. 

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew over the two, making both of them shiver simultaneously. “We should head inside; it’s getting a bit windy,” Akechi suggested, (reluctantly) letting go of Akira’s hand and hugging himself in an attempt to keep warm.

Akechi smiled and told Akira good night before entering his room. Akira’s gaze lingered on the door, thinking about how Akechi never failed to tell him good night ~~and the fact that he was the reason he couldn’t sleep~~.

Next stop: theme park.

“RISE AND SHINE, ASSHOLES!” Ryuji yelled in an attempt to wake everyone up as he barged into the other room, but all he got were grumbles in return. He stood defeated in the middle of the girls’ and Akechi’s room, staring blankly at all of them still sleeping.

Walking over to Ann’s bed, he yanked her blanket. Ann instinctively curled up and hugged herself to make up for the lost heat provided by the blanket.

Ryuji kneeled down on one side of the bed, leaned in towards Ann’s face and said, “Cockle doodle doo, bitch.” 

“Can you cockle doodle don’t?” the other grumbled, lazily shoving Ryuji's face away before turning to sleep on his other side.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Ryuji muttered to himself, standing up from his position. “I didn’t want to do this,” he said disappointedly as he climbed on top of her bed, “but you leave me with _no choice_.” He paused and breathed in deeply for a dramatic effect.

“I DIDN'T GET NO SLEEP CAUSE OF Y'ALL! Y'ALL NEVER GET NO SLEEP CAUSE OF ME!” He hollered as he jumped up and down on her bed.

“Shut up!” Makoto yelled through the wall.

Ryuji hopped off the bed and ran over to the wall separating the two rooms. “Makoto, help me,” He pleaded through the wall. “They don’t want to wake up.” 

Not even a second later, Makoto burst inside their room and shouted, “WAKE UP NOW OR WAKE UP NEVER BECAUSE I _WILL_ KILL YOU.” which effectively had all of them up immediately. 

Makoto shut the door and all of them fell back onto their bed. Ryuji snickered as Makoto promptly popped her head back in, causing them to once again sit up, “You guys better be prepared in ten minutes,” she said threateningly.

Whining and practically dragging themselves around the whole time they were getting prepared, the sleepyheads finally finished preparing for the day.

Eyes squinting against the bright sun, Haru peered down from the balcony. Those from the other room were downstairs, arguing over who Akira should take a picture of first. 

Feeling like he was being stared at, and he most certainly was, Akira instinctively looked up at Haru. He beamed as he gestured for her to come down and join him and the others.

After much arguing and Akira’s limbs almost being torn off, they finally decided it was time to get back on the road and head to the theme park.

The car ride there was full of bickering. _We should ride this first! No we should ride that first!_ After a heated debate, they have come to the conclusion that, one: Futaba has no respect for her elders, quite evident in the way she shouted, “ _LISTEN UP UGLIES!_ ” and two: they _have_ to ride the wildest roller coaster there.

Probably not the best for their hearts or throats with all the excessive screaming they are about to do but as Ryuji said: “ _I’m here for a good time, not a long time.”_

Ryuji shrieked as the train slowly climbed up the first steep slope of the coaster, “OKAY I TAKE MY PREVIOUS STATEMENT BACK! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

“COWARD!” Futaba yelled from the car behind him, which the others took as an invitation to shout random shit.

“STAN BUSTER BROS!” Ryuji shouted as loud as he could so that the people on the ground would hear him.

“BUSTER BROS CLAPPED, STAN TWICE INSTEAD!” Ann rebutted as a joke.

“Oh, you did _not_ just fucking say that. Had it not been for this seat that confines me I would have whooped your ass already.” Ryuji threatened as he flailed his arms at Ann who was seated beside him.

“Had it not been for that seat, you would be falling to your death by now, dumbass.” Ann taunted with a laugh.

“Shut up and enjoy the ride, assholes.” Akechi chimed in.

“Can you motherfuckers stop swearing all the goddamn time.” Makoto scolded.

“But y — AAAAHHHHH!” The train dropped and sped down the coaster. 

Ryuji yelled for his mum as they turned upside down during a loop. The other two in the same car as him, Ann and Sumire, laughed at their terrified friend.

After plenty of screaming and crying out “mum”, the rollercoaster slowed to a stop. The ride left them in a stunned state with dropped jaws and dishevelled hair.

“Guys! Wanna see the pictures?” Haru asked as they got out of their seats. Walking unsteadily as they cleared out the ride, their heads were still spinning.

“Pictures? What pictures?” Ryuji replied with his own question, sounding slightly anxious.

“They take pictures of you while on the rollercoaster. You didn’t know?” Haru answered, walking over to where the pictures were bought. Ryuji covered his mouth as it formed an ‘o’ shape, slowly turning to Yusuke who yelled _almost_ as loud as he did.

Futaba laughed loudly. “Hey!” She looked at Ryuji and Yusuke. “Look at how ugly you are!” She called them to come over with another laugh. 

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, the two cautiously approached the counter to check out the photos and, wow, they looked so _terrified_ that they couldn't help but laugh at themselves as well.

They each bought a picture for themselves, some keeping it in their wallets while others inside their phone cases.

Afterwards, the group split up into smaller groups so that everyone can go on the rides that they wanted to go on. Ryuji, Sumire, Ann, and Futaba immediately grouped up and headed for some other extreme ride to scream their heads off too. Makoto and Yusuke, being the conniving self-proclaimed wingmen of Akira, grabbed Haru and Morgana and made a run for it. 

Akechi whistled as the three, quite literally, made a run for it. “Well… I guess that leaves you and me.” He gave Akira a tight-lipped smile before grabbing onto his forearm and said, “Come on!” inviting the other, who was standing still in the middle of the park like a dumbass, to move.

So maybe, _just_ maybe, Akira is experiencing a quite intense moment of gay panic that lasted throughout the whole time they were going around the theme park.

_Palms? Sweaty._

_Knees? Weak._

_Arms? Heavy._

“Do you want to eat spaghetti?” Akechi asked as they passed by a restaurant, effectively snapping the panicking gay out of his inner monologue.

Akira covered his mouth in shock. “You can read minds?” 

“ _What?_ I — no? Akira, are you _sick_ ?” Akechi, who was now concerned about the health of this gay in panic, pressed a hand to his forehead and neck making him panic _even more_. 

~~Yeah, lovesick.~~

Akira laughed and said, “Forget I said anything. Let’s eat spaghetti.”

 _Holy shit, is this a date?_ Akira thought as he pretended to inspect his glass of water, because nothing says “interesting” more than a glass of water.

In an effort to get his shit together, he told Akechi that he was going to the restroom to give him (and, unknowingly, Akechi who was also stressing) time to calm the fuck down.

Disaster gays.

 _Nah, you’re overthinking things. Definitely not a date. Nope. Nuh-uh.Two bros, sitting in a restaurant five feet apart ‘cause they’re not gay._ Akira, being the absolute dork that he is, tried his best to not laugh at his own vine reference as he retreated to the restroom.

While he was away trying to not have a gay breakdown — or how Futaba likes to call it, a _greakdown_ — Akechi was looking around the restaurant trying to not look awkward and like a loser for sitting at a restaurant alone.

As he was doing so, he caught a glimpse of Ann’s group by the entrance of the restaurant. 

_Hallelujah!_ _I’m saved!_ — or so he thought.

He waved at them, successfully catching their attention, but just as the four of them were about to enter the restaurant, Akira returned, much to Akechi’s misfortune and the four’s entertainment.

They stopped in their tracks, each of them covering their mouths in disbelief with wide eyes as they looked at each other. 

Conveniently (for the four of them, not Akechi), Akira was seated facing away from the entrance. 

Sumire pointed at him and then to Akira, then proceeded to give him two thumbs up with a big ass smile before mouthing “good job”. Akechi glared at them and they, being the annoying brats that they are, continued to annoy him. Futaba repeatedly did chef’s kisses, Ryuji did the ‘okay’ sign, and Sumire and Ann made a heart together with their arms.

Akira noticed his pissed off look and called out to him. “Akechi?” 

Whipping his head towards Akira, he plastered an obviously fake tight-lipped smile and replied, “Yeah?”

“What were you looking at?” Akira asked as he slowly turned towards the entrance, prompting Akechi to grab his hand. 

Akechi looked at the four with wide eyes as he repeatedly tilted his head to the right as a way of telling them ‘fuck off’, which they gladly did after shooting him tons of finger hearts. 

Not even a second after the four were out of his view, his phone started vibrating nonstop, probably those idiots texting him. He moved his hand away from Akira’s to pull out his phone but Akira caught it back and held it.

He smirked, “You know if you missed the warmth of my hand so much, you should’ve just said so.”

“Oh, you wish. You’re the one who decided to grab it when I was letting go,” Akechi retaliated, his buzzing phone left ignored inside his pocket.

First they gay panic, then they aggressively flirt with one another. Why choose a struggle when they can do both?

After they ate, Akechi asked if he wanted to go somewhere since they still had some time before the park closed. They decided to go on the ferris wheel after much convincing on Akechi’s part and reluctance on Akira’s because ‘they just ate’ — in reality, he’s just scared of being in a small pod that is several feet off the ground (meaning no escapes) with Akechi.

The two sat across from each other. Akechi was looking down at the park and the other looking at him.

He doesn’t know if it was the way the lights reflected in Akechi’s eyes; the small curl of his lips; the way his head is ever so slightly tilted to the side; the way his eyelashes flutter when he blinks; the way his left hand is pressed up against the window as he looked down with wonder-filled eyes; or if it’s simply because Akechi is Akechi, but he was so _beautiful_.

_He always was._

His voice when he says Akira’s name; his nose; his soft hair that Akira wants to run his hands through; his cheeks that are just _asking_ to be squished and poked; his laugh that makes Akira’s heart hurt; and most especially, his eyes.

_His eyes._

If Akira had to choose one thing (and _strictly only one_ thing) that he loved the most about Akechi, it would be his eyes. 

His beautiful brown, almond eyes with soft eyelashes, and tired crinkles beneath it.

Although Akira does have his favourites, everything, everything about Akechi, is just simply beautiful.

“Hehe,” Akechi giggled. “Akira look, I see Makoto, Yusuke, Haru, and Morgana,” he said, pressing his finger to the glass as he pointed down.

“Where?” Akira asked as he leaned forward, looking to where Akechi pointed but not without pausing to look at Akechi for just a tiny bit longer.

“There!” He replied, tapping his finger against the glass as he aggressively pointed in their direction as if that would make him find them faster.

“Oh! I see them!” He laughed. “Do you think they can see us?”

“Maybe?” Akechi’s head briefly tilted to the other side slightly as he said that. “We’re not high up yet.”

Akira waved his hand enthusiastically trying to catch the three’s attention, unintentionally catching strangers’ attention as well.

Akechi turned to look at Akira. His body heated up upon realising how close they had gotten. 

He’s so close to Akira’s face, he could see his details so clearly. His curls, his pretty smile, his stupid glasses and the dark eyes behind them, his — 

“Look! They… waved back.” Akira turned his head towards Akechi, his voice dropping from a loud, happy tone to just above a whisper as he processed their close proximity.

They stared into each other’s eyes, both wide in surprise. Their cheeks became tinted with a shade of red, breaths hitched, hearts pounding. 

They jolted away from each other after what seemed like forever, which was in fact just a few seconds. They both leaned back into their seats, trying to put as much distance as they can from each other. 

It’s frustrating. Frustrating to know that both of them are equally in love with each other just as they are equally oblivious to it.

Akechi broke the silence after several quite uncomfortable seconds, he cleared his throat and asked, “So, uh… How’s your ass?”

Akira chuckled, “Sore as fuck after the stunt they pulled.”

After the ferris wheel ride, they grouped back up with the others and headed home.

That’s another place checked off of Kurusu Akira’s list.

Ann, Sumire, and Futaba approached Akechi as he had just flopped down onto his bed.

“Why are you two smiling like that. It’s scaring me,” Akechi grabbed a pillow and put it in between him and the three as some kind of shield. They proceeded to smile even wider as they sat on Akechi's bed.

“Haru, I’m scared.” He pressed his back onto the headboard and brought his knees close to his chest.

“So… What happened to you and Akira?” Futaba asked, eyebrows wiggling. Haru moved to sit on Akechi’s bed too upon hearing Akira’s name.

“Well, uh, we just ate together. The end. Nothing happened, so go to your bed.” He replied in a hurry as he pushed them off his bed.

 _Nothing happened?_ Haru wondered. “Wait, if nothing happened then what was that thing in the ferri — “ She wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Akechi flew towards her, putting a hand over her mouth so fast it knocked both Haru and him down onto his bed.

“YOU TWO WENT ON THE FERRIS WHEEL?” The other three asked so loudly that Akechi had to hush them just in case the others could hear them through the wall.

Akechi sighed in defeat, releasing Haru from his vice grip. “Were you trying to _kill_ me?” Haru exclaimed after she took a deep breath. Akechi smiled awkwardly and apologised. _Whoops._

“Did y’all kiss?” Ann asked very bluntly, and straightforward with the most serious face ever.

Akechi coughed, choking on nothing. “No?” he forced out a strangled answer.

“You almost did,” Haru casually mentioned, with a smile that almost seemed smug.

“You _saw_ that? Oh my _god_.” He grumbled as he slid his hands down his face as if he was having a breakdown.

The girls were so happy for Akechi. They squealed and slapped each other out of excitement. “You _have_ to confess,” Sumire demanded.

“No.” Akechi firmly replied. He stood up quickly, “Anyways!” Akechi closed the lights and forced everyone to sleep. He wanted _nothing_ to do with their conversation.

Up next: Music Festival.

The venue was packed. 

One big sea of bodies all dancing to the music blaring out the speaker that Futaba described as “music only Ryuji could love” to which, of course, the older took offense to. 

Everyone was bumping into one another, yelling over the music and others to talk, and as Ann so cleverly put it, “If we were in America we would be high on some kind of drugs due to secondhand smoking by now.”

“Okay, can Ryuji’s stupid rap group please just perform already so we can leave.” Futaba — who is very much not a fan of big crowds, sweaty bodies, and whatever bass boosted bullshit is coming out of the speakers — whined as she pushed through the crowd.

“First of all, they are not stupid — “ Futaba laughed at that, “Yeah for you.” Ryuji ignored her comment and kept going, “secondly, have you never heard of — “ he stopped short before yelling, “HOLY SHIT IT’S ICHIRO,” and then running off into the crowd.

The group sighed, and went after the blond who was elbowing his way through the crowd.

By the time they had caught up to Ryuji, it was already mid-song and he was having the time of his life shouting the lyrics of the song like he did inside the van. 

He tried to get the others hyped up to no avail. “This effin’ rocks! Come on, you guys! Doesn’t _Break the Wall_ make you want to dance?” 

“It makes me want to break your face.” Makoto deadpanned, before deciding to slip away from the crowd.

“I am not much for engaging in these types of social events, however I am very interested in watching from a distance. I will be adding this experience to my arsenal of art references. Now, if I may be excused.” There goes Yusuke, probably off to “ _capture the beauty of this moment and create my masterpiece!_ ”

“I hunger! Snack time!” Futaba left as well, along with the rest of the girls who were also hungry.

Akechi turned to Akira and asked, “Aren’t you gonna go too?” He shrugged. “You’ve gotta admit, the song’s kinda groovy.”

Ryuji pointed at Akira, grinning widely, “I knew I could trust you, best buddy!” 

The song ended and as soon as the next song started playing, Ryuji moved even deeper into the crowd yelling, “THAT’S MY SONG!” repeatedly. 

Akechi and Akira shared a look before laughing together and leaving to join the others.

It has been almost half an hour since Ryuji was abandoned by the group for shade, snacks, and space. 

They stayed under a tent next to the pancake food stand that Akechi quite aggressively hinted that he wanted to eat there.

“Hey guys,” Ryuji greeted them with a hoarse voice.

“Are the powerpuff girls done performing?” Futaba asked without even looking at their sweaty friend, mindlessly tapping away at her phone as she sipped on a strawberry milkshake.

“IT’S — “ Ryuji inhaled deeply, calming himself down before speaking again, “It’s _Buster Bros._ ”

“Yeah, yeah,” Futaba waved her hand dismissively. “Can we go to the beach now?”

With that, they decided to head out, not before Akechi got an order of rolled pancakes to go though, and went to the beach. 

“My turn to drive!” Ann cheerfully announced, reaching for the van keys laying on the table.

“ _Please_ tell me her driving skills improved in the time I was gone,” prayed Akechi. Flashbacks from their time in Mementos played in his head; Ann stepping (more like stomping) fully down on the gas pedal, the car repeatedly swerving, drifting, and even almost turning turtle. He shuddered at the thought.

“Don’t worry. She did,” Haru answered, giggling at Akechi’s horrified face.

“Oh, thank _god_.” He sighed in relief, averting his attention back to his _oh so delicious pancakes._

Last item on Kurusu Akira’s list: Beach. 

  
  


“Whoa! Lookin’ cool, Joker!” Morgana complimented as Akira landed a roundhouse cutback as he rode a wave with that smug smile of his.

Not one to let Akira get all the glory, Ryuji declared that “What he can do, _I_ can do better.”

(He can’t).

Tried and failed, Ryuji lost balance and was engulfed by the waves causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“Damn bro, you got the whole squad laughing,” Futaba mocked as a washed up Ryuji approached them, surfboard under one arm and seaweed stuck to his head.

“You are not the Joker you think you are,” Ann added, not letting the opportunity to bully the literal skullhead slip by.

After deciding to let Ryuji live, they had fun playing in the sand. Making sandcastles, burying each other, writing in it, you know, usual cliche beach stuff.

It was all fun and games until a crab had gained possession of Yusuke’s expensive watercolour set. Plenty of screaming and throwing stuff at the crab ensued as they attempted to rescue his kidnapped art supplies in true Phantom Thieves style.

“Pass the baton and knock ‘em out!” Futaba yelled, prompting Akira to high five Ann.

“Squeal like a pig!” Ann shouted, rapid firing shells at the crab.

“Do crabs even make sounds?” Sumire leaned towards Yusuke as she whispered the question to him. “I believe not.”

They all stared at the crab quietly, waiting for it to move as it had seemingly frozen into place when a shell Ann threw hit it. 

Suddenly, the crab charged towards them, causing _them_ to squeal like pigs as they ran in the opposite direction.

Ryuji grabbed their beach bucket and dashed towards the crab as he shouted, “Taggin’ in!” He raised the bucket above his head and slammed it down onto the sand, effectively trapping the crab inside.

Everyone cheered and complimented him. “I’m great. I know, I know,” smug, he placed one foot over the bucket and placed his hands on his hips in a pose.

Like a record scratch, Yusuke’s question, “Okay, now how are we going to get my watercolour set back?” broke Ryuji’s ego boosting moment. 

“... Forgot about that.”

As they were _still_ trying to save Yusuke’s prized possession, they didn’t notice that the sun had started to set. 

They sat together on the beach where the waves lap at the sand once they had _finally_ won the battle against the crab.

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful view in front of them. 

A sudden sniffle cut through the stillness of the moment. Everyone turned their head towards the source of the sound to find a crying Akechi, trying his best to hold back his sobs.

They all spoke words of comfort as they gathered around their sniveling friend hugging him.

In between sobs, Akechi managed to get a weak, “I”m sorry,” out as he pointlessly wiped his continuous flow of tears again and again. 

“A — “ before Haru could even finish saying his name, he started speaking brokenly. 

He struggled to get words in due to his sobbing and deep breaths, “I don’t _hic_ I don’t d – deserve you guys. I’ve done you all _hic_ so wrong and you — you still —“ He stopped, unable to finish expressing his thoughts because of how hard he was bawling. And though he was an incoherent and blubbering mess, the message he wants to get across is loud and clear for the group. 

“We’ve already forgiven you, had been for a long time now, Akechi,” Ann started, rubbing consoling circles on his back.

“Yeah, and we’re glad you’re back and alive. This is your chance at a second start in life and we want to be a part of it,” Sumire continued, raising her head from his shoulder to look at him.

“Hey guys…” Ryuji spoke softly as to not disrupt the moment. 

“I got the firewood ready so if any of you want to start the bonfire…” 

After exchanging looks with everyone, Akira smiled and told them to go, he’ll stay behind with Akechi until he has calmed down completely.

The two stayed silent for a while, both of them not knowing what to say or rather, where to begin. So instead of striking up a conversation, Akira settled for wrapping an arm around Akechi.

“‘Kira,”

“Yeah?”

“... May I lay my head on your shoulder?” 

“Anytime,”

“...”

“‘Kira,”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,”

Akira turned and tilted his head down to look at Akechi’s face upon hearing him starting to sniffle again, “No, no, _no_ . Do _not_ start crying again,” He urged with a slightly panicked chuckle, as he moved his arm away from his shoulder and cupped Akechi’s face with both hands, forcing the other to look at him.

Akechi swore everyone could hear how loud his heart was beating at that moment.

Try as he might, the tears kept silently falling down. _At least I’m not wailing like an idiot anymore. God, that was so embarrassing and uncharacteristic of me,_ he thought, trying to turn his head away from Akira but his firm yet gentle grip gave him no room to look away.

With another small laugh, Akira joked, “C’mon tears, stop it.” 

Nothing in Akechi’s entire life could prepare him for what was to happen next.

Akira pulled him close and kissed him under both eyes where the tears had trickled down, as if to wipe them away. “Stop crying now, okay?” He smiled gently at Akechi, running his thumbs over the parts he had just kissed before getting up.

Akechi’s tears immediately stopped. The shock from the kisses froze him in place, staring blankly into the pitch-black ocean. He, as Futaba would so eloquently put it — _windows shutting down sound_. 

“Let’s go join the others.” Akira’s hand suddenly appearing in front of him snapped him out of his daze.

Akechi grabbed his hand and was hoisted up. He’s not sure if it was because of the dark, the tinge of the bonfire on his face, wishful thinking, or a combination of all three, but Akechi could’ve sworn he caught Akira blushing.

_Definitely wishful thinking._  
  


“THAT’S HOT!” Fanning his mouth, Ryuji couldn’t sit still as he struggled to chew the smores he had taken a bite out of because of the heat of the marshmallow.

“We warned ya,” Futaba snickered with a shake of her head. _Ah, idiots are so entertaining_ , she thought fondly as she stared at the fire and spun her stick again and again with a satisfied smile.

They all sat on their makeshift log-chairs, taking turns in giving their heartfelt sentiments towards their little ragtag group of friends. This, of course, was initiated by Akechi who finally got his shit together. (He refused to bawl his eyes out in front of them a second time).

After everyone had their turn to speak, they had one big group hug, one that made them lose balance and almost toppled everyone into the pit of fire right next to them. 

Dumb and dangerous, they know.

As they were packing their things up to go back to the seaside lodge they rented, Akira noticed that Akechi slipped away and was sitting alone near where the sand and water meet. 

He almost face planted into the sand when he was suddenly pushed from behind. He turned around at the culprits, eyes narrowed.

“Sorry…” Haru squeaked, slowly backing off. 

“We didn’t mean to push that hard haha…” Ann rubbed the back off her neck, avoiding Akira’s sharp gaze.

“We just wanted you to go talk to him and spend some more alone time together…” Futaba explained, meekly drawing circles in the sand with her foot. 

“ _Basically,_ what we’re trying to say is: confess your undying love for each other already!” Sumire ordered, sounding like a complaint. “Be gay or some shit! I don’t know! Just,” she slid her hands down her face in frustration, “end this mutual pining right _now_ or else _you_ will be the one ending.”

“Hold on, you guys think Akechi likes me?” Akira asked, genuinely not knowing, eliciting a facepalm from literally _everyone_.

“Akira, only a blind person wouldn’t be able to see how head over _fucking_ heels you are for each other,” Makoto whisper–yelled.

“I — “ 

“Just go!” Yusuke demanded as Ryuji pushed Akira for good measure.

“We’ll be at the lodge,” Morgana informed, before leading the group away.

_Well… that happened._

Akira inhaled and exhaled deeply, before turning around and setting his eyes on the person he has the biggest, fattest, most enormous crush on. 

The fact that the others told him Akechi liked him back hadn’t sunk in his mind yet, and perhaps that was for the best. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

Fueled by his friends’ coercion, he walked towards him. Sitting down beside him, their shoulders touching. “Hey.”

Akechi glanced at him before returning his gaze back to the ocean. “Hey.”

_Oh god, this is so awkward. Why did I let the others bully me into this, ohmygod. Somebody send help._

Akechi broke the silence. “Shouldn’t you be helping the others pack up?” 

_I am saved._

“Pft.” Akira kicked sand onto the other’s foot. “Speak for yourself. Why are _you_ here and not helping? And also, they left a couple minutes ago.”

Akechi looked back. “ _Oh.”_

“Why’d you stay back?”

“Well…” Akira started off, conjuring up a witty remark. “ _someone_ had to stay with your brooding and emo ass.” 

“Haha, you’re so funny.” Akechi rolled his eyes, it was his turn to kick sand onto the other’s foot.

Akira smiled smugly, “Yeah. I know I am.” 

Just then a strong breeze blew, ruffling up both their hair. 

Akechi made a complaint about how messy he looked now to which Akira replied saying, “Aren’t you always a hot mess?”

“Thanks.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

“I stopped listening at hot.”

With a shake of his head, Akira grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it at Akechi.

“Oh, two can play that game.” Akechi grinned mischievously.

Before Akira knew it, he felt both his feet leave the ground before his entire body was plunged into freezing water.

“Are you _insane_!?” Akira shouted as both of them ran out of the ocean, shivering so hard you could hear their teeth chattering. 

“Do you know who the fuck you’re talking to?” Akechi asked as they continued their dash to the lodge. “I’m Akechi Goro, of course I’m insane.” 

They were laughing hysterically through the entire run towards the lodge. After entering, they changed clothes and gathered together in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa and a warm blanket wrapped around them.

“I’m still shaking. I’m scared I might spill the hot cocoa,” Akechi stated, trying to bring the cup up to his lips as steady as he could.

“And who’s fault is that?” Akira raised a brow.

He grinned after sipping from his mug. “Mine, but you were the enabler.”

Akira couldn’t help but notice that the hot cocoa stuck to Akechi’s upper lip. Moreover, he couldn’t peel his eyes _away_ from Akechi’s lips.

“Hey, you got something on your face,” Akira informed him, setting his mug down.

“I do?” Akechi put his own mug down, and raised his hand to his face.

Catching his raised hand and lacing their fingers together, Akira said, “Don’t worry, I got it.” 

He cupped Akechi’s cheek gently, _so, so gently_ , he was barely touching it. The fire painted them in an orange light, making Akechi’s tan eyes, which were darting back and forth between Akira’s eyes and lips, closer to a bronze. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Akechi asked, barely inaudible, putting his hand over Akira’s, pressing it against his face and tilting his head to lean into it.

Akira remained silent for a moment, only the crackle of the firewood and their slow, steady breathing could be heard. He pressed his forehead to Akechi’s and finally replied, “Sending you a calling card.”

Akechi smiled at that. “Calling card received. Will you steal my heart?” His eyes slowly closed.

Closing his eyes as well, Akira answered with his own question, “Is that what you wish?” 

The blanket falling as their lips met was all the answer Akira needed. Their lips were both warm and sweet with hints of vanilla and cinnamon from the hot cocoa they had abandoned for a different source of heat. Akira felt Akechi smile slightly against his lips, he couldn’t help a small smile of his own form on his face at that. 

Akechi buried his hands in Akira’s soft curls while Akira’s moved to embrace him. The shirt fabric was cottony, smooth — soft against his fingers, which were running up and down the other’s back, and just thin enough for the warmth of Akechi’s body to seep into his skin. They stayed just like that for a while, engaged in a long, soft kiss in each other’s arms. Taking their sweet precious time basking in each other’s warmth. 

They pull away from each other, their breaths now shallow and fast-paced like the beating of their hearts.

Akira caressed Akechi’s cheek with the back of his hand and grinned. 

“ _You’re mine_.”

**Author's Note:**

> goddamn! these bitches gay! good for them! good for them! 
> 
> if u read until the end i lov u very much, i hope u guys liked it <3  
> this is my [twitter](https://twitter.com/azamiyoshi) :D i only have like five persona mutuals pls talk to me about akeshu and best girl sumire


End file.
